Another sinkhole discovered in Konya

In the Karapınar district of Konya, a sinkhole with a diameter of 37 meters and a depth of 12 meters has formed. 

The sinkhole occurred in an area of approximately 1400 square meters in a field in the Seyit Hacı Yaylası neighborhood of Reşadiye. The sinkhole has been determined to be 12 meters deep and 37 meters in diameter.

Prof. Dr. Fetullah Arık, the Director of the Sinkhole Research and Application Center at Konya Technical University (KTUN), stated that another sinkhole has formed in Karapınar.

Arık emphasized that they could not find a connection between the recent earthquakes and the newly formed sinkholes, stating the following:

"According to the locals in Karapınar, another sinkhole has formed. We were in the area to investigate it. However, we could not relate these sinkholes to the recent earthquake. It happened about 20 days after the big earthquakes. So, this sinkhole has no relation with the previous major earthquakes or the current one. Or we couldn't establish any connection. Maybe this sinkhole was already ready to collapse, and the earthquake triggered it. It is possible. But if it had happened during the earthquake, then we could say, 'Okay, it happened due to the earthquake.' But since it happened 20 days after the earthquake, we cannot say that."

Arık claims that earthquakes or aftershocks do not affect sinkhole formation. "If the sinkhole is ready to collapse, then an earthquake can be one of the triggering factors. So, a ready sinkhole can collapse due to shaking. There are similar relationships established in other parts of the world. But we compared the sinkholes in this region with the earthquakes, and we could not establish a significant relationship," he said.

Mehmet Yapar, who lives in Hacı Seyit Yaylası, stated that sinkholes like this always form in Karapınar and said that a large sinkhole has now formed in his neighbor's field.